...and I do WHAT!? with the poo?... The beginning of my journey through the cloth diapering world

WARNING: This post is not one for the faint of heart or queasy stomach! The most commonly used word is "poo" and I talk a lot about nasty sh*t, literally. So, as mentioned in previous blogs, please go read something else if you aren't interested in my opinions on poo :)

Cloth Diapering is something that has definitely come a long way, especially from the cotton folded diapers with the giant safety pins back in the day. This is something that I have been interested in for years and luckily all that has changed is the availability of more brands, styles, prints and You-Tube tutorials!

Well, "Why cloth diapers?", you may ask... I like them because they are adorable, better for your baby's bum (no diaper rashes), better for the environment (no landfill trash), and ultimately save you a lot of money! the dispute on the money issue comes down to what styles, brands and how many cloth diapers you buy. If you get what you need and not just go nuts over all the colors, then you should break even on the first child, maybe even get some "free" use. But by the second or more babies, you are basically diapering for free! You can't beat that and since I know for a fact we plan to do this again (and maybe again), it is worth the initial investment for me!

Now, I know what you are thinking- gross! But let me walk you through what all my research and a billion questions to a friend who uses them and is on her second child now (basically diapering for free!) has shown.

First of all let's start with the types of cloth diapers- There's a ton of types to confuse the interested person enough to stop looking. That's kinda where I was; completely lost and discouraged. Then my friend Cindle, the one I mentioned above, helped enlighten me on the differences and told me that all my current knowledge about cloth diapers was from the pocket-style, which is also what she uses. After a lot of research I found that this style is the most popular and common in the cloth diapering world. And, just look how adorable the prints come! These are Alva Baby, a brand suggested to me that are actually pretty inexpensive, and comparable to the BumGenus!

Side-note: Babies really don't fit in the one-size-fits-all until they are about 10 pounds so instead of investing in an entire newborn system, I want to just go ahead and start out on newborn Pampers Swaddlers- disposables (Sorry Mother Earth and cloth diaper advocates!). Plus, I've heard newborns go through like 20 diaper changes a day! Once she is around 10 pounds, let the earth and money saving begin! But they will grow with her until she is like 35-40 pounds and potty-trained! Think about it- the same diapers from 10 pounds to potty trained!!! Amazing!

Back on topic: The pocket-style has an outer, waterproof shell and absorbent inserts that slide between the shell and the soft inside that touches the baby's bum. Each diaper change you toss the shell and the liner(s) separately into a foot-operated pail (with the breathable, washable pail liner). You then leave them there for a day or two- basically until you are ready to wash!
"But what about the poo?!?", you say... Well this was the most enlightening part for me! Breast-fed babies have  a liquid, runny poo until solids are introduced, so those are fine to toss directly into the pail. The solid-ish poos have a rule of thumb: If they are "plop"-able, then "plop" them into the toilet and flush. That is simple! Wash the liner and shell like normal. Wet ones always just go straight to the pail.

Something cool that has come out for on-the-go changes is the disposable liner that goes between your baby's bum and the diaper, catching the solid poo (not letting it stick in any way to the diaper), making the change quick and easy in public restroom. You would simply pull the liner out and toss the turd like a disposable diaper, then put your diaper and inserts in the wet bag for washing at home and get a fresh one.




Let's talk dirty... laundry that is!
This is probably the hardest part to sign up for, but once explained from a mom who does this all the time, it gets better-sounding. So you have this 1-2 day old pail of stinky, wet cloth diaper pieces, now what?

Well according to my sources, you just:

1.) Take the pail in the laundry room, dump everything into the wash (including the wet bags and pail liner
2.) Wash these on a quick rinse cycle first (This is way better than the toilet attachment that sprays them first- not interested in doing that at all!)
3.) Add two scoops of  any free and clear detergent, 2 scoops of oxi-clean free
4.) Wash on the hottest setting with high water level
5.) Do a quick, small rinse cycle to make sure all the soap came out
6.) Hang your shell covers on a drying rack overnight
7.) Dry everything else in the dryer on med heat
8.) The next morning, re-stuff the diapers so they are ready for diaper changes and put away

That is not so bad. I always imagined (and I think my husband does now) scraping poop, turds in my washing machine, touching every single dirty diaper with my hands, stinky hours over the toilet rinsing rank cloths, giant stains and a stinky, leaky kid... not the case at all! Just a couple of extra rinse cycles!

So just to clarify, the accessories needed for this style are:
1.) The outer shells/ diaper- You need enough to diaper change for around 2 days and then a few extra, just in case.
2.) The absorbent, diaper inserts- Each diaper should come with at least one, but you want extras. From what I understand, at night you may want to double up. Plus, I think we could all agree it would be better to have extra underwear on a trip than run out of clean! So I would guess (and this will probably change with more research) order 10 extra inserts. I have also seen youtube videos where people use the microfiber (sham-wow type towels) wrapped in the cotton for night diapers. The problem with those towels alone is that they would potentially pull moisture from the baby's bum too... So with delicate skin it is best to have cotton closest to the inside of the diaper/ baby bum.
3.) The disposable liners for trips to the store (if expecting a solid stinky). Again, breast-fed babes don't need these until they are into solids!

4.) A foot-operated pail! Cuts down on germs and extra hands I don't have when disposing of dirty diaper parts.

5.) Breathable, washable pail liners. Most people have a few of these and they rotate their uses and wash with the diapers. The odor isn't terrible like you might think either- because you are washing every other day or so and the liner is breathable. I've heard diaper genies for disposables smell horrible! Also, one hippie said to put a little baking soda at the bottom of the can and maybe a rag with a lavender oil down there too...

6.) Wet bag for trips to the store and diaper changes on the go. This is just a washable, water-proof bag that you put your soiled liners and covers in while out and about, away from your pail. They recommend having a few of these to interchange.
7.) The expandable drying rack. These are super cheap at Walmart and can be folded and put away for non-washing days. Also, my laundry room is right by the garage so I could set this up in there for more room! But I have been advised to do this step overnight, so it wouldn't be in anyone's way anyway!

That's it! Sign me up...

Once you know the style of cloth diaper you want to work with, it is easy to find reviews on which brands are best, where to find deals and who has the best patterns! I have even found diy diapers and liners tutorials for the extra-thrifty! There are You Tube videos, blogs and discount sites to help you once you understand the basics of your style choice.

For all the grandparents, friends, and future babysitters out there who are frantically deleting my phone phone number from your phones in fear- Chill out! I don't see how this is any different then dealing with a dirty disposable. In fact, you put the whole dirty diaper in the bag and send it to my house for disposing/ cleaning... saving your can from smelling like a**! I think you win in this situation! Take the dirty off, bag it and put the clean on. The best news of all is that with the cottons and soft materials used, babies in cloth diapers don't get diaper rash (caused by chemicals and wetness- its absorbed into the stay-dry materials) therefore, do not use diaper rash creams! No creams, no rash, no chemicals, no landfills, no coupon-clipping, no clean up- What was the argument against this again?

Find out about cloth diapers: check
Share the news of how awesome cloth diapers are: check
Convince family and friends they will survive it: check
Convince Dusty he can do this and lots of other dads love cloth diapering: working on it!

Next venture: choosing between re-usable wipes or homemade disposable wipes vs. store bought....
should be interesting!

Finally, I'm letting my inner-hippie free- minus taking mood-altering drugs :)

***Please send me any questions you come up with because before Elli-Anne gets here I want to find out as much info on these as I can! So your questions are my questions! Thanks for your support :)